425 Tasting Notes

Aaaargh Steepster lost my note! Seriously, what good is the fancy overhaul if all the effort I put into a note goes to waste anyway?

Here’s the short version:
Flavors are roasted mate, chocolate, and almond. The almond is overwhelming and tastes very artificial. I’m not a big fan of the chocolate either, but I’m starting to think that I just may not like Davids chocolate flavoring. I resent that the taste of this tea lingered in my travel mug long after I finished drinking it no matter how many times I rinsed. Sipdown

I picked this up at our Taste of France swap, I think from Fuzzy_Peachkin. Thanks!

I really wasn’t expecting smoky here. I really don’t like smoky. Just no. Gah! There are hints of lemon coming through. I have enough left for one more cup, so I’ll try that one at a lower temp with some honey and lemon as suggested in some of the other tasting notes. But not today. It took me 20 minutes to get the smoky taste out of my mouth just now. Blegh.

No rating, because my profound dislike of smokiness makes it impossible to evaluate the quality of the blend fairly.

This has been my go-to morning travel mug tea for the past week or so. It’s just fantastic for icy snowy freezing mornings, and it resteeps well so I can use the same leaves two or three days in a row (don’t judge me!). I love the maple flavor – distinct, natural, but not overwhelming. I’m actually upping my rating on this one.

Thanks to RogersCK for including this in my Secret Pumpkin package. I love that supermarket brand loose leaf exists, but I don’t enjoy this particular loose leaf. The jasmine flavor is just very chemical and fake. It tastes about the same cold as hot. So, meh.

Gah! Peppermint! It’s good, but…brisk. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Actually, perfect for the faint of heart. Like smelling salts, this tea will revive you. It’s a rooibos though, so don’t expect the kick to last.

The dry leaf smells overwhelmingly like peppermint with an undercurrent of white chocolate. Brewed, the peppermint smell mellows out and I can make out white chocolate and some of the woodiness of the rooibos base. The flavor is actually overwhelmingly peppermint with a distinct honey tone. No white chocolate, though. As it cools, the honey turns into white chocolate. Iced, the white chocolate flavor is dominant with a lingering peppermint note. I quite prefer this tea hot. There’s something addictive about this one. It’s nice to help soothe a migraine, too. This tea may well end up in my permanent rotation.

Not bad. Not bad at all. The jasmine flavor is a bit strong because I lost track of time and oversteeped. Still tasty. This is not the most distinctive or astounding jasmine tea, but it’s solid. Definitely glad I have another sachet of this at work.

Yum yum! This is dead on for a spiced cider. I think I underleafed, because this is a bit weak. Still lovely. A bit of brown crystal sugar highlights the apple note, which lingers pleasantly. Thanks for including this in my Secret Pumpkin package, RogersCK!

I had the sachet version of this in my travel mug this morning. I don’t have a whole lot to say. The citrus is prominent here, but not overwhelming. The base tea is solid. Not a must-buy but by no means a turn-down.